Page 13 of Wicked Rush

“So you do know how this works?” He laughed, guessing she’d never been restrained in her life. The fear in her eyes spoke volumes.

“I never said I’ve ever…”

“Here’s the deal. I want answers. You have them. Now while this can all be very sensual, that’s not exactly what this is about today.” Lars hovered the shiny metal over her wrist.

“No.”

“The police? They book you for burglary. It’s a felony, you know. Granted, you might get away with a misdemeanor, but I do have video surveillance. I’m sure that will provide all the necessary evidence.” He paused and took a breath, his voice trailing off as he suggested the alternative. Lars knew he shouldn’t be making sexual innuendos given the situation, but fuck if his cock didn’t stir as his mind wandered with the possibilities of restraining her.

“I can’t go to the police. You know…you know…what happened on the beach,” she recalled, her eyes pleading.

“Or, the alternative is you let me cuff you. I’ll take a shower and then we’ll talk.”

“That’s not fair,” she accused.

“On the contrary, it’s more than fair. I risked my life that day at the beach to save your ass.” His voice grew louder as he recalled the incident. “This is not up for discussion, Dr. Rollins.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Very well. Do you know the assistant district attorney? His name’s Dean. He’s a good friend of mine.” Without releasing her hand, he reached for his cell phone. “I’ll call him right now.”

“No,” she cried. With a loud sigh, she snapped her head toward him, briefly met his gaze and then rolled her eyes in anger.

“So do you give your consent?” he asked. Drawing her closer, his chest brushed against hers and he slowly dragged his finger along her jawline, tilting her head toward him. “Doctor.”

“What?”

“Look at me,” he demanded. Her fiery eyes bored through him as she locked them on his. “It’s your choice. Police or cuffs? As soon as I’m finished getting dressed, I’ll release you. Yes or no?”

Lars watched her face soften as she accepted her fate. What she didn’t know was that he had no desire to call Dean. He couldn’t get the answers he sought without her.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“What’s that? Louder, Dr. Rollins,” he insisted.

“Yes, Goddammit.” She rolled her eyes.

As she relaxed her arm, Lars grew confident that for the first time in weeks, he was a step closer to discovering the truth. He gave a sly smile as he clicked the cool metal around her wrist, taking care to double lock it.

“Easy,” she muttered under her breath.

“Bed? Or bathroom? I’m not generally a fan of an audience when I shower, but for you I’d make an exception.” He winked as he gave a small laugh. Lars knew it was wrong to get a thrill out of restraining her, yet she’d given him enough trouble over the past couple of months. Compared to a jail cell, a few minutes in cuffs in his bed was nothing. Hell, most women would pay to be in her shoes.

“How about neither? God, you’re an asshole.”

“Now, sweetheart. That’s not a very nice way to talk to the person who has the keys.” He glanced at the handcuffs and back to her. “The other key too. Although I’m dying to find out why it is so important that you’d try breaking in my house to get it.”

“I didn’t break into your…” She stumbled over her words as the blanket slipped from her hands, revealing the swell of her breasts. Quickly recovering, she yanked the fabric upward, covering her bared flesh. “I hate you.”

“Someday, Dr. Rollins…not only are you going to beg me restrain you, but you are going to get a nice spanking for that mouth of yours. It is a beautiful one.” Lars couldn’t resist baiting her. The sight of her hardened nipples sent a jolt straight to his dick, and he shifted as his cock rushed with blood.

“You are seriously not flirting with me,” she replied, her eyes widening.

“When I’m trying to arouse you, you’ll know it. Right now, this is far from foreplay.” Bed, definitely bed, he decided. The last thing he needed to do was to have her watch him shower. “Bed it is.”

“What? I’m not getting in bed with you again. Last night you took ad…”

“Last night, we danced. Last night, you tried breaking into my house. Last night, I saved your pretty ass. Correct that…frozen ass. Now why would someone who knows the ocean as well as you do risk going down alone by the cliffs at night like that? Let’s just put it this way…you need to sit here and think of some really good answers while I’m taking a shower. I’d prefer the truth, because honestly, I don’t have a lot of time for lies.”

“I wasn’t…” she began and went silent.

“Hmm? What’s that? Got nothing? Yeah, how about you think on things.” Lars reached over the back of the sleigh bed and pulled on a cord that he’d had designed to secure to a hook on the wall.

“What is that?”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head, Doc. This is a special little attachment.” He snapped the cuffs through a brass ring and tugged, testing it. Once it was secured, he backed away from the bed and took in the sight of her.

“Do you routinely tie women to your bed?” she asked, a hint of a smile threatening to break her fury. “Who the hell has this kind of thing in their house?”

Something in Lars snapped. A lack of sleep coupled with sexual energy that teetered on explosion jolted him forward. She startled as he knelt one knee on the edge of the bed, and leaned over to her, his lips inches from her ear.

“Someday, Braelynn, you will find out exactly how I use these.” As her first name rolled off his tongue, he imagined she’d be difficult to tame, a challenge he’d enjoy for certain. In truth, he wasn’t looking for blind compliance. The banter was more conversation than he’d had in months from his bubble-headed dates. Intelligence coupled with beauty was sexier than any perfect ten he’d picked up in clubs. Perhaps her sexual naivety was the only truth she’d exposed. Yet that didn’t deter him from hoping that eventually she’d trust him enough to share whatever dark secret haunted her.

With his lips so close to her skin, he resisted the temptation. Whatever drove her to try to steal the key back must’ve been some serious shit, he knew. His intuition told him not only was she in deep trouble, but the danger surrounding her would be brought to his doorstep by his mere association with her. Innocent or not, the truth would be exposed.